1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a large-sized umbrella, and in particular to an umbrella having a canopy that is capable to be oriented in inclined directions.
2. The Related Art
Large-sized umbrellas are widely used in a variety of applications, such as beach umbrellas and garden umbrellas, for shading intense sunlight. Thus, some of the large-sized umbrellas are provided with a mechanism for orienting the canopy in order to adapt to the direction of sunlight. Such a mechanism is often mounted on a central rod of the umbrella. The most commonly seen mechanism for orienting the canopy is a pivotal joint formed between upper and lower sections of the central rod that allows for rotation of the upper section on which the canopy is mounted with respect to the lower section that is secured on ground. A latch is arranged between the upper and lower sections to engage holes defined in the central rod in order to selectively fix the upper section at a desired position with respect to the lower section. Such an orientating mechanism has a complicated structure and thus difficult to operate. In addition, the complicated structure raises the manufacturing costs of the umbrella.
Another conventional orientating mechanism for large-sized umbrellas includes a rope that drives the upper section with respect to the lower section and selectively fixes the upper section at different positions with respect to the lower section. A reel and associated winding mechanism are required for operating the rope. Again, the structure of the conventional orientating mechanism is complicated and costly. Maintenance and manufacturing are difficult too.
Thus, it desired to have a canopy orientating device for a large-sized umbrella that overcomes the above problems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a canopy orientating device for large-sized umbrellas having a simple structure and thus easy to operate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a canopy orientating device for large-sized umbrellas having low manufacturing and maintenance costs.
To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a canopy orientating device for an umbrella comprising a center rod comprised of upper and lower sections. A canopy is attached to an upper end of the upper section. A lower end of the lower section is mounted to a base positionable on a fixed surface for supporting the central rod in an upright manner. The canopy orientating device is arranged between a lower end of the upper section and an upper end of the lower section, comprising a skirt-like diverging opening formed in the lower end of the upper section and defined by opposite inclined side walls. The upper end of the lower section is received in the diverging opening. A pivot pin extends through both the upper and lower sections to rotatably mount the upper section to the lower section whereby the upper section and thus the canopy are allowed to rotate about the pivot pin with respect to the lower section between a neutral position where the upper section is substantially aligned with the lower section and an inclined position where the upper end of the lower section engages one of the inclined side walls to orient the canopy in an inclined direction with respect to the lower section.